Am I Sick or Just Wimpy?

Last week I wrote about running through cold season. Most of the women who commented agreed with me. We’re proud, committed runners; of course, we keep running to some extent when we’re under the weather. Today, I’m on day five of a 10-day dose of antibiotics. So what happened? Am I a flip-flopper? A hypocrite? Or even worse, a wimp?

After a month of low energy and obnoxious snot rocket volume, I reached a breaking point. My cold wasn’t getting worse, but it wasn’t getting better. I was starting to wonder if I would ever get better. I even took some days off and rested—to no avail. Enough was enough.

I woke up one morning and told my husband, Tim, I was going to urgent care on the way to work. I could see it in his eyes—he thought I was a wimp. You see, Tim never ever goes to the doctor. He has passed out in the kitchen, broken bones, and even passed a kidney stone during the Hawaii Ironman. Doesn’t matter—he still never goes to the doctor. So he definitely would never go to the doctor for a cold.

Basically, this means I feel like a wimp for wanting to go to the doctor when I have a cold, which is why I often put it off, hoping it will clear up on its own. In most households, I truly believe I would not be the wimpy spouse, but in our household, I am most definitely the wimp. I only won one Ironman, and it wasn’t the Hawaii Ironman (which Tim won twice). I did, however, have a baby, but Tim passed a kidney stone during a race (see above), so while I believe I won this contest, Tim may argue that he was a close second.

Anyway, the point is that I did finally go to the doctor and I learned something interesting about head colds. First, the doctor informed me that having a 3-year-old was my real problem (thanks, doc). Then he shared something I didn’t already know. He told me that if you have a head cold for more than two weeks, there is a much higher chance of that cold turning into a sinus infection.

So there you have it. After a month, my cold turned into a sinus infection, and now I’m a wimp on antibiotics. I still plan to continue light exercise during functioning colds. The trick is to know when your cold has crossed the line and become something worse. In the end, would you rather be a healthy wimp or a sick superstar?!

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